I love the story of Mary and Martha! No matter how many times I read it, it always has the same effect on me: it helps me get my priorities straight in prayer.
Whenever I slip into a Martha-type attitude and start fussing because there’s so much prayer work to do and not enough people helping with it, I can open my Bible to Luke 10 and let Jesus remind me that life in God is wonderfully simple. Only one thing is absolutely necessary and that is fellowshipping with the Master. Everything else we need to pray and do will flow from our time spent with Him.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that the moment we as pray-ers let that simple truth escape us, our praying becomes very complicated and burdensome. We find there are so many people and leaders and nations, so many situations in desperate need of prayer that we don’t know where to start. If one situation stands out to us more than others and we decide that is the prayer assignment we should tackle, we find ourselves quickly overwhelmed by it. Without the strength and refreshment that comes from personal fellowship with God, the task of intercessory-type prayer soon wears us out.
We become grumpy instead of gracious, Marthas instead of Marys. And our service to the Lord becomes drudgery rather than a delight.
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:38–42
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”